Cammarata named USHL player of the year

The Waterloo Black Hawks forward capped it off by being named both the United States Hockey League forward and player of the year on Wednesday, an honor voted on by both USHL coaches and general managers.

The honor– received just two days after Cammarata’s 18th birthday — came after a 38 goal, 93 point campaign for the Plymouth, MN product. Both totals led the league. His point total was the second-highest single-season mark ever recorded in the USHL Tier 1 era, second to just Kevin Roy’s 104 point effort a year ago.

“He succeeded playing “amongst the trees” by using his high hockey IQ to put himself in positions to succeed,” Future Considerations scout Dan Shrader said. “Not just that, he’s clutch as well I can’t tell how many games I saw where Waterloo needed to step up when it mattered and he did it consistently.”

Cammarata produced 29 multi-point games for Waterloo and had scoring streaks of seven and 14 contests before closing the regular season out on an eight-game run.

His performance during the 2012-13 campaign was more than worthy of the honor, according to USHL president and commissioner Skip Prince.

“Beginning last summer in Russia for the Junior Club World Cup, and throughout this season, Taylor Cammarata just lit it up for the Waterloo Black Hawks,” Prince said in a release. “There’s a reason why he’ll go down as one of the most popular and dynamic players – not just in Waterloo, but throughout the USHL. There’s a very large heart in that compact body, and extraordinary skills. Congratulations to Taylor on well-deserved awards, as he moves on to what should continue to be a special hockey career.”

Cammarata also set a Black Hawks Tier 1 era record in recording a plus-39 rating and finishes his USHL career with 65 goals and 162 points in 116 games.